Embers
by Silent Magi
Summary: Someone longs for Daria's attention, and wants desperately to be with her. However this person is too shy, reserved, and scared to approach her. Will the two get together or will the cruel hand of fate divide them forever? Chapter 18 up.
1. Chapter 1

After years of stalking, the countless photos, the endless attempts to get her alone, the sprained leg, it was time. Approaching the green coated goddess before her, she had to pause and swallow the sudden lump she felt. Here she was, in all her stoic glory, alone, as her friend had gone to get the sodas.

Just as she was about to touch Daria's shoulder, she looked up and spotted Jodie Landon approaching with her boyfriend, Michael. Biting back a curse she lowered her hand and walked away; if it wasn't Jane, it was someone else. Why couldn't she just have two minutes alone to talk with Daria? Why did that girl make her heart flutter every time she spoke? Why was she running away, yet again? Looking up, she saw her friends Andrea and Shaggy waiting with concerned looks on their faces. They would support her after her latest failure, they always did.

Sitting down, Jen refused to meet either set of eyes trying to search for hers. It wasn't that she was upset, but just that she knew that they'd be heartbroken from the sadness within them. Casting a short glance at Jodie talking with Daria, Jennifer cringed inside, thinking back to when she had first met Daria.

She had sat at the back of the self esteem class again; she was on her fourth trip through. The psychologist thought that her shyness was based on her lack of self esteem, and her parents didn't care enough to protest the judgment, so she went, and used it as a study hall. She was working on a problem from her math assignment when she heard a dry voice speak out saying simply, "Excuse me. I have a question."

She had looked up and given a small smile. Mr. O'Neill never answered questions in this class, he didn't know what any of it meant. She thought of talking to the girl after class, when Jane leaned forward and talked to her. Jennifer had sighed inwardly, knowing that her chance to be a friend with the new girl had passed.

Returning to the present, she wasn't surprised in the least to find her cheeks wet with tears that dripped down into her pizza. It always happened when she thought about what could have been if she had been a little braver at any point in her life. Andrea had finally convinced her to leave that class and hang out with her and Shaggy, the two of them had become her first real friends, and, over time, nearly siblings. She trusted them with everything, especially when she came out.

Now when they wanted to help her the most, when she needed them the most, was the time that she rued ever making friends with them. It killed her inside knowing that they were hurting just because she was. She tried to keep an upbeat attitude about it, but she didn't know if she could continue it. It just seemed to get harder every time she failed to talk to Daria, but she kept trying.

Andrea leaned over and hugged Jennifer to her, turning her slightly so that her tears rolled down Andrea's shirt instead of onto her pizza. This was a familiar position for the pair; soon Shaggy would reach over and rub her shoulder. There he was, right on time, showing his support as best he could.

Wiping her eyes and pulling away from Andrea, Jennifer thought back to a couple weeks after Daria had moved in, when she got her first chance to show Daria her support.

It had been in woodshop, Jennifer had taken the workbench across the center aisle from Daria, when Kevin had barged in and started shouting some nonsense about him and Brittany. Daria was sawing something when he had started, but at the end, when he had asked to get together, she had it turned off. Then she delivered the devastating, "It might ruin our friendship," line that left Kevin stunned. After Daria left, Jennifer had called Kevin a geek, but he brushed it off as no big deal. How could being rejected by Daria like that not be a big deal? Was he really that brain-dead?

Jennifer returned to the present just in time to hear Andrea asking her a question.

"Hey Jen, you want to go?" Andrea asked softly while nodding to the door.

With a nod, Jennifer stood up, and flanked by Shaggy and Andrea, she walked out into the sunny day outside. The sun felt good to her, it reminded her of her grandmother. She had always enjoyed gardening on days like this. Jen would often help her in the garden, weeding, planting, watering; it was great fun for the pair to work together. She still longed for her grandmother, even five years after her death.

Stopping at the light, Jen looked to her two friends and gave them both a small smile, trying to show them that she'd be alright. If only she felt as certain of that fact as she was trying to reassure her friends to be. Right now all she wanted to do was go home and curl up in her room, or bake something. Baking always helped her feel better, maybe it was the comforting smells, maybe it was the smiles on the faces of those that ate her creations, or maybe it was testing out new recipes; but something in that combination always helped her feel better.

Shaggy tapped her shoulder and waved to her as he split off to head for his house. She waved back with a small smile on her face. He was a great friend, even if he would create some of the weirdest devices she'd ever seen. Turning back homeward, she felt Andrea's hand pat her shoulder, causing her to look over at the Goth.

"Jennifer... I know you don't want to hear this, but you're a good friend, and... You have to stop torturing yourself over Daria," Andrea said with a concerned look on her face. "I know you're shy, but sometime soon you're going to have to face her. It may mean talking to her in front of others."

Jennifer frowned and turned away, looking out over the street for a moment before sighing and shaking her head slowly.

"Jen... I know you don't like talking in front of others, especially since you and Jane stopped being friends. But you can never be with her if you don't say anything," Andrea said softly as she hugged her friend close.

Jennifer hugged Andrea back, tears stinging her eyes again. Andrea was right though, if she didn't stop being such a coward, she would never have a chance of being happy with Daria. Wiping her eyes on her sleeve, she pulled away from Andrea and gave her a smile, before running towards her home, leaving the Goth standing there with a frown.

"Damn that Daria, why can't she see how much Jen cares? And damn that Jane too, it's her fault Jen's like this..." Andrea mumbled as she watched her best friend run off.

Andrea grimaced as she turned away thinking about how Jennifer changed from the bright outgoing girl when they were younger, to the shy, church mouse that she had grown into lately. It was the summer Jen had moved away from next to Jane's house, that must have been when Jane crushed her. After all those letters Jen had sent, no reply, all those unanswered phone calls... Andrea sighed as she found her fists clenching again, if it wasn't for a promise to Jen, Andrea would have pounded the snot out of Jane, and dragged Daria down on her knees before Jennifer. How dare they hurt her friend like that, how dare they...

Jennifer entered her home silently. She knew she was alone again, her mom was probably still at the office helping her boss, Helen, work on legal briefs and such, probably wouldn't be home until late. As for her dad, last letter she got from him put his whereabouts somewhere north of Alaska, studying whale migration. She loved them both dearly, but sometimes she longed to have a normal family. Walking through the living room, she found a picture of her older sister and smiled faintly. She had always been there for her, but now she had her own life to worry about. College had been good for Miranda; after all, that's where she met her husband and business partner, Mark.

Jennifer sighed and entered the kitchen quietly as she set the picture back on the stand it resided on. Looking around what she called her domain, Jennifer smiled and pulled her apron off of the pin by the doorway. She felt like making some cookies tonight, her basket of them looked to be running low anyhow. Pulling out the flour she wondered if Daria would like her baking. Jennifer smiled and closed her eyes picturing what it might be like to live with Daria.

Jennifer stood in her kitchen, rolling some dough flat with a wooden rolling pin, when suddenly, green clad arms wrapped about her waist, causing a smile to spread on her face. "Hello beautiful," a voice whispered as she felt lips tickle her neck, "what're you making?"

Jennifer rested her hands on Daria's gently while leaning her head back, enjoying the kisses Daria was placing on her neck. Softly she cooed, letting her lover know how much she enjoyed it. Slowly she turned around and smiled at the bespectacled face of the one who possessed her heart. Gently she removed Daria's glasses and leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips.

Jennifer spat out the flour she had accidentally kissed, and with a rueful glare at the traitorous bag, she let out a sigh. It always seemed to end up like that, she'd dream about something, and end up kissing her pillow or the flour bag. Sighing, Jennifer once again started working on making the cookies, focusing on that, and trying to avoid kissing more flour.


	2. Chapter 2

A few hours later, Jennifer left the kitchen with a sandwich and three still warm and gooey chocolate chip cookies on a plate. Walking down the hall she sighed seeing it growing dark outside, it looked like her mother would be working late again. She closed her eyes to help fight back the anger she felt building inside, after all, she knew it wouldn't help her at all. Entering her bedroom, Jennifer walked over to her bed and turned on the computer that sat next to it. One good thing about mom's job was that it provided her with this computer, which she had used to hunt down recipes, talk with new people, and just relax.

While it was booting up she munched on her sandwich idly, thinking back to one of her first finds on the Internet. It was a writing forum she had started checking frequently, mostly because the people there were really good, but also in part to try and help with her own writing. She was getting ready to wrap up her nightly session of forum browsing and log off when she noticed a new person posting, what caught her attention most was the name, Melody Powers. She was posting a short story about a little girl, who struggled with a neglectful family. Jennifer had been the first to reply, pointing out a few minor corrections she'd make, and then signed off for the night. When she had logged in next, she found that Melody had added her to her messenger account, and was waiting. That started a long night of comparing writer's notes, all the while, something about Melody's name tickled the back of Jennifer's mind.

Returning to the present she noticed her computer was up and running nicely, and already logging into the Internet. Melody had promised to beta read Jennifer's first story, and to have it in her e-mail by tonight. This was a big move for Jennifer, it was something that Andrea had suggested might help her with her self-esteem issues, and Shaggy and Melody had agreed that it would. That had been the key point for her, when her only friends all agreed to give writing a try; she had decided to start with something small.

Logging into her e-mail service she smiled slightly thinking about the story, it was about this really shy boy, who never really fit in anywhere. After losing his best and only friend in a car accident, he had slowly turned into a recluse, hiding from the world with his silence. That was until one day a beautiful girl had ran into him in the halls, he was awestruck by her, and she was kind and caring to the bashful boy. As the story progressed, the boy found out that the girl was really a magic user, who had come looking for a partner to help her in her battle against evil.

Jennifer gave a giggle as she read the e-mail from Melody, yeah the story wasn't quite as simple as she had intended, but once she started, she couldn't stop, not until all one hundred pages were typed out. Melody seemed to like it too, even added in what seemed to be a few Latin phrases to use as magic words. Though according to the translation, they were really just conversational phrases. Melody did seem to have a weird sense of humor, which Jennifer really liked, especially on days like today, when Daria seemed farther away then ever. Jennifer skimmed through the rest of the editorial comments Melody had attached before clicking print.

While the pages ran off Jen logged into her messenger, under her screen name, Silent Dove. With a small smile of remembrance, she had chosen that name after hearing some song called "Lonesome Dove" and really connected with the feeling of it. Finding that name taken on the forum, Jennifer had changed the adjective to silent, to reflect how she tended to be quiet offline.

Only one person had ever asked about it, and that person was right now asking if she had gotten her e-mail. While typing in her affirmative reply Jennifer smiled, Melody had chosen her name from a character in a series she had written, and due to board rules, couldn't post. But Jennifer had gotten Melody to e-mail them over for her to read, and fallen in love with them. They currently took up four binders on her shelves; it was a refreshing change from the James Bond clones that she had read.

Jennifer loved getting lost in those stories, acting as a sidekick right along the awe inspiring spy. She had been thrilled when Melody took her deep under the streets of San Francisco, soared with her over the Grand Canyon, and dove deep into the Marianas Trench hunting down threats to the American way of life. She really wished she knew how to express her enjoyment to Melody, but every time she tried to type it out, her mind would blank, and write 'great', 'cool', and 'alright'.

Blinking Jennifer noticed that Melody had asked her a question, what happened today? What had happened? Jennifer thought back to the near confession at the restaurant and cringed inwardly before typing her answer. 'You know that person I really like? I nearly confessed to them... but someone came along.'

She lowered her gaze sadly to her trembling fingers, trying to ignore Melody's messages; they'd just repeat the same thing they said last time, and the time before that. 'You can't run away all the time, you have to tell her Dove.' She knew that she had to tell Daria, but she doubted Daria wanted her. Who could really blame her; after all, Jane must've told her all about Jennifer, her insecurities, her faults... everything. Jen had really hurt Jane that summer, but what else could she do? Her family was moving, and she tried sending letters, calling, everything to stay in touch with Jane, but she never got anything in return.

Looking up she saw Melody had started talking about her next Melody Powers story; she was going against Comrade Red again. That witch was a real tyrant, first she tried to destroy the American economy, by stealing every cent she could lay her hands on, then when that was foiled she tried to destroy Melody. Her lackeys were real psychos too, from man-hating Pyne to the crazy doctor Galsdotter. Oddly enough she found herself picturing her teachers filling in for the lackeys, and Ms. Li as Comrade Red, but never brought this up to Melody. She probably wouldn't understand what her teachers were like, and it was probably just her perception of them. At least that's what Manson had her believing after she finally admitted it during one of their sessions. That had to have been the third or fourth trip through the self-esteem class.

She looked over Melody's idea with a small smile, this time it was Melody's turn to go on the offensive. Apparently, the young cadet Melody was training, the one based off of Dove, had been captured by Comrade Red. Now it was up to Melody to save her, come hell or high water.

Jennifer stared at the words with a slight blush, picturing a slightly more fit Daria standing in the midst of a smoke filled doorway, clothes torn in many places, smeared with blood and grim, and slightly out of breath. She would be looking at the unconscious Jennifer tenderly, before walking over and scooping her up in her arms and carrying her out, protectively shielding her from the enemies.

Smiling slightly she thanked Melody for using her character again in her series. She felt a small amount of pride in being put into her favorite author's stories, even if her character normally ended up in trouble.

Melody asked about her progress on the next work from her. Jennifer looked at her desk where her notebook laid. Inside there was her next story, she had started writing it while waiting for Melody to return her other one. It took a minor character from the first book, and put her in the spotlight as the newest hero.

The reluctant heroine was a quiet, misunderstood girl named Jasmine, who had disappeared one day, being transported to another world, where she is chased by most of the governments for being an alien creature. Among the new problems she faced was the sudden development of uncontrolled magical powers, which had nearly taken down an entire mountain range. Jennifer had gotten to the part where she was to have the heroine meet a mentor, and had become stuck.

With a sigh she typed out the dilemma to Melody and stopped. She had wanted to ask to use Melody for the mentor, but she was afraid that would be too forward, too personal, or just plain out rude to Melody, after all, she was a brilliant writer, unlike Jennifer. Hitting send Jennifer pulled her legs up to her chest and sighed. Maybe Melody would suggest something useful, like how she created all those characters in her story.

While waiting for Melody's response, Jennifer leaned over and pulled the sheets she had printed off of the printer and next to her, giving them another glance before tucking them to the side. Glancing back up Melody had asked Jennifer a question she hadn't thought of before, 'Why not use that person you like for a character base?'

Jennifer's jaw had dropped open in surprise, had Melody realized that she was the basis of Jasmine? It was possible, and it would fit into the story, but could she really do that? Daria was so wonderful... she didn't really want to bring her down by her own limited writing talents...

Leaning forward she sighed and typed that she'd think about it, before adding that she had to sign off soon to make dinner. Not that it was likely anyone but herself would eat, but it just felt proper to make enough for everyone. And besides, it always brought a smile to her face when Andrea and Shaggy would enjoy the leftovers she brought in with her, rather than face what passed for school lunches.

Walking down the hall she stopped when she heard the phone ringing. Looking at the clock she groaned inwardly knowing that it would be her mother saying she had to work late again, and that she would be eating takeout. Giving a defeated sigh she picked up the phone from the charger and answered it.

"Hello?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Hello dear, I'm sorry but Helen asked me to work late again tonight. We'll be ordering takeout, so go ahead and fix yourself something to eat," her mother said over the phone gently, "I'm really sorry sweetie, you know I'd be there if I could."

"It's fine," Jennifer lied while fighting back tears, it wouldn't do any good to cry now.

"Jennifer, I have to go, Helen's getting that look again," Marianne finished in a hurried voice. "I love you sweetie, good night."

"Good night mom, I love you too..." Jennifer said to the dial tone. Hanging up the phone Jennifer walked away towards the kitchen. She felt like making some stir fry chicken. Turning on her rice cooker she sighed trying to get her mind off of her problems with her mother or her lacking love life. Next she walked over and pulled out the chicken fillets, a knife, and the cutting board, she then walked over to the center island and started slicing the chicken into strips. After she finished cutting the chicken she stuck the knife in the sink and started running some hot dishwater. Taking two steps over, she pulled out her favorite wok and set it on the gas oven, turning it on medium high. Pulling the oil down from the shelf, it she added a good amount to the bottom and let it heat up.

While the oil heated she added the rice to the cooker. Afterwards she started frying the chicken, before adding in her special stir-fry sauce. After a few more minutes, she pulled out the pre-cut vegetables she had set aside in the fridge and dumped them into the oil. Letting all the things cook in the wok, while stirring occasionally, she let her mind drift again.

Stirring the vegetables and chicken in the pan slowly Jennifer hummed a merry tune, when she heard a door shutting. Turning down the heat so as to not burn the food she walked out into the hallway to see Daria walking from the front door towards her. Scooping Jennifer in her arms Daria smiled and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Together they walked back into the kitchen where Daria started serving out the two bowls of rice, while Jennifer made certain everything was cooked properly. Adding the stir-fry over the rice Jennifer smiled and snuck a kiss while Daria had her hands full. Walking together to the table the pair sat down next to each other and started eating while talking about their days.

Jennifer sighed as she turned off the oven's flame, and slid the pan over onto one of the cold burners. Serving herself she winced again when her motions caused echoes in the empty house. Pulling out a spoon she sat at the central island and ate, wondering when her cheeks had grown wet, and her vision had become blurred with tears.


	3. Chapter 3

Jennifer sighed as she stored the leftovers in the fridge; she had eaten little because she was crying so much. Why couldn't she have a normal family or a normal crush? It wasn't fair, she always was an outcast, and it must have been her fault. That was the only conclusion she could reach, since in all the situations, every single time, she was the only common factor.

Returning to her room she stared at the photo album holding her collection of pictures of Daria, she was really beautiful, really intelligent, and really... almost perfect. The pictures captured Daria at some of her best moments; when she was studying, when she was sitting with Jane out in the schoolyard, the moment she finished defacing that picture Li forced on display with her beautiful smirk of satisfaction, when she had taken a bite of pizza and Jane said something that caused her to blush. So many memories were hidden in the depths of that book, but she knew Daria could never see it. If she did, she would probably freak out and become scared to be around Jennifer.

Jennifer had to admit, she was becoming something of a stalker, but she couldn't stop. Her every free thought was of Daria, her dreams were possessed by that bespectacled goddess. It really hurt to see Daria sometimes, especially right after she failed to talk to her.

Glancing around she saw her computer, and walked over to it, Melody was waiting for her. Jennifer had to chuckle, Melody only left for about twenty minutes every night when she stayed home, and that was to eat micro waved lasagna, or whatever weird concoction her father had created. She did admit that some of them sounded interesting, but that thing called 'Kitchen Sink Stew' filled her with dread every time she thought about it. Did that man not even know the basics of cooking? Really, putting all those different ingredients together without measuring, that was just asking for trouble.

Reading Melody's message briefly she laughed slightly, apparently her father had a client dinner, and her mother was working late at the law office, so she had gotten some pizza. It always surprised and amused her how much Melody could eat pizza and not get sick of it, it seemed like every other day she was eating pizza, be it after school with her best friend, or on the weekends, or when her folks had gone out for the evening.

Jennifer had talked to her friend once, when Melody had left the room and Jayne Payne had started typing. It turned out that Melody used her as the basis for Melody Power's best friend, and part time-associate Major Jayne Payne, formerly of the U.S. Air Force. Jennifer laughed every time that Jayne was in the stories; Melody always found some way of making jokes about her name, and they were normally original.

Now that she thought about it... Melody's friend reminded her in a lot of ways of Jane Lane, but that wasn't possible. Daria wouldn't hang out online with a loser like her, and that would mean that it couldn't be Jane during that time. However, some part of her still pulled her to believe that Melody was Daria, it was the same part that reminded her about Kevin starting a riot at the reading Daria held. She couldn't hear what Daria had been saying cause she had been sitting too close to the cappuccino machine and was distracted by how beautiful Daria was standing up there on the stage to try and hear over the machine.

Jennifer closed her eyes and pictured the reading as she wish it would have gone. There was Daria up on the stage, looking regal under the spotlight, and there was Jennifer, sitting alone in the audience, spellbound and captive by Daria's presence. Finally, Daria lowered what she was reading, and stepped off the stage to approach Jennifer. As she drew near, Jennifer saw ever more clearly the small seductive smile that Daria was giving her. Leaning forward Daria scooped her chin with her forefinger and thumb, drawing them closer together, until their lips were an inch apart.

"I want you to know, that story was for you Jennifer, and I hope you enjoyed it." Daria whispered before closing in that final inch.

Jennifer was brought back to reality just before she imagined the kiss by the hall clock chiming the hour. Opening her eyes she noticed that Melody had asked about her school life again. With a sigh Jennifer started typing her reply, she was a good student, an outcast, one who only had two friends, and a hopeless crush; but stopped before hitting enter. She always got so close, but stopped just short of posting it. She didn't want Melody to think she was a loser, so until now she had deleted it. As she read the words again, each one seemed to stab at her heart, and draw her fingers closer to the backspace key. Looking up she saw Melody asking her for a real answer this time, not some cop out. That simple request seemed to stand out, seemed to draw her in, and make her want to answer. Thinking back quickly, Melody seldom hid anything unimportant like school life from her, why should she return that kindness with deceit? Looking down at her fingers she watched as her forefinger hovered between the backspace and the enter button. Finally she closed her eyes and sought the answer Daria would give; she'd give the truth, and expect it from her.

Opening her eyes she found her finger pressing the enter key in, after twenty times, she had finally gather up the courage to be honest about her school life. Glancing up at her words, she felt something inside her loosen. Melody was typing something right now, but Jennifer didn't really care, she had admitted the truth, she had become stronger. As Melody's words appeared Jennifer blinked, she had never thought to ask Melody of her school life, but here it was, right before her. Only one friend at school, an outcast, and had recently gotten over her own crush on her best friend's older brother. It didn't surprise her that Melody was a loner, like her, nor that she was an outcast, many time Jennifer had gotten stung by her rapier wit, no what surprised her was that Melody could be so honest with her, so accepting.

Jennifer closed her eyes and wondered, could she really tell her friend that she was a lesbian? That the crush she's been talking about was a sarcastic, brunette, girl who wore a green coat? Was it possible that she'd accept her, even after the truth was out? Could she really risk it?

With another sigh Jennifer looked over at her notebook that she was writing in, the story already playing out. She knew that Melody wanted to be the proof reader on that story; the truth would come out at that point. Should she wait till then? Biting her lip nervously Jennifer looked back at the message that Melody had posted while she was thinking. 'We are very alike, don't you think?'

What a lie, Jennifer wasn't nearly as brave, honest, or intelligent as Melody. Lowering her fingers to the keys she sighed as she typed out why Melody was lying. Why she wasn't her equal, why she wasn't worth hanging out with. Tears stung her eyes again as she saw her words glaring back at her, each one accusing her of pretending to be good enough to be Melody's equal. And just as suddenly they were gone, with two words replacing them. 'Stop that.'

Jennifer stared at the words, until Melody continued. 'You are a wonderful person Dove; I wouldn't hang out with you otherwise.' There it was, like a slap to the face, the truth. Jennifer didn't dare believe it, but Melody wouldn't lie. Not about this at least, she had seen how devastating Melody could be to those she didn't like on the boards. Normally they were the ones that snuck around attacking other people's works, or just posted drivel. Jennifer had wanted to say something when they started, but she just didn't feel confident enough to do it.

Melody was asking if Jennifer understood now, and she had to ask herself, did she? Could she really say that she understood what Melody was saying? No, she couldn't, and that was what Jen put down. She had to think, she had to do something and think about it. Typing that she had to go, she closed out of the chat window and stood up. She needed some fresh air; that would help. Looking at the clock quickly she saw that it was only six o'clock, plenty of time before dark for a walk. Scooping up her cell phone that her mother had given her, she walked out of her house into the setting sun. Turning around she locked the door.

Without really thinking about her direction she started walking, letting her mind deal with what Melody had told her. She was a wonderful person; she had heard that so often before that she didn't really stop to think if there was any truth to that. Her footsteps on the pavement sounded like hammers striking a nail to her ears, each step brought her further in thought about herself, trying to see herself as someone else did. Sure she wasn't overly beautiful, but she wasn't ugly, she had a nice figure, and she had been complemented on her skin, and her hazel eyes. She had been advised to not hide behind her bangs all the time, but that was part of her defenses, it stopped everyone from seeing into her soul, letting them only see what she wanted them to.

Could that be the problem? Did she really hide too much? Jennifer sighed trying to clear her head, maybe she did hide too much, but that was her way. It's what everyone knew her for doing, save one... only one knew Jennifer as whom she was before. That one had probably pointed out her faults to Daria, and they had cut her apart like they had done so many others. Jane Lane, her best friend in grade school, but now, could she be called an enemy, without knowing actions against Jennifer had occurred? No, she shouldn't fall into that thinking trap. Jane had not only been her best and only friend growing up, but she had never been anything but honest and forthright. Why then had she never talked to Jennifer? She left countless messages, she had talked to Trent, she had sent dozens of letters, but she never got anything in return from Jane. During that summer Jennifer had decided that Jane needed her space, and on the first day of school, saw Jane walk past, not even returning the greeting Jennifer had offered. It was then, at that precise moment that Jennifer knew, beyond all hope to the contrary that Jane had left her behind.

Looking up to get her bearings Jennifer barely managed to stop before walking right into the person she wanted to see least at this moment.

"Excuse me," Jane offered startled as she turned the corner and skidded to a halt to avoid hitting Jennifer. "I didn't see you there."

"It's alright JayRayLay, don't worry about it," Jennifer said before stepping around Jane and trying to walk away before the accusations form in her mouth as they did in her head.

Jane; however had other plans and stopped Jennifer with a hand on her shoulder. "No one has called me that since I was a kid, and only one person got away with it then. Jennifer, is that you?"

At that moment Jennifer's eyes widened in panic as she shrugged off the hand. "Yes... I... umm... I'm sorry about running into you; I didn't mean to bother you." And with that Jennifer broke off at a run. Not caring about her direction Jennifer ran on, as though Jane had threatened to kill her.

Jane stared after Jennifer for a minute as the girl ran with a frown on her face. 'She wasn't that jumpy when we were friends... I just wanted to know why I never heard from her...' With that Jane bit her lip and looked down at her watch, debating whether to catch up with Jennifer, or continue on to Daria's. With a sigh Jane started walking towards Daria's house, confusion evident on her face. So many questions were left unanswered, and so many more were brought into light.

"I have to try and talk to her at school..." Jane said thoughtfully after a few steps.


	4. Chapter 4

Walking along the road to Daria's house, many questions stormed in Jane's mind as she thought about the recent run-in with her old friend. Why had she acted like Jane would hurt her? Why hadn't she ever contacted her that summer? True, it was the summer when Jane had been dragged by her mother to an artist retreat for two months, but she had made sure that Trent was going to get the mail and take phone messages.

He didn't remember any phone calls, and said he didn't see anything in the mail for her, but that didn't make sense. Jennifer had promised to keep in contact; she had always kept her promises. Could it have been a mistake?

Jane sighed as she neared looked up at a familiar two level brick house. Maybe she should talk to Daria, she'd be able to help. Then again, Daria wasn't always the best with interpersonal problems. She would also have to tell a lot of back story, to make her understand. Ringing the bell, she decided to let Daria bring it up. It wasn't really something to bother someone else with, unless they're prepared.

Daria opened the door after a couple minutes, holding a bowl of popcorn in her other hand. "Hey Jane, just getting ready for the marathon... you alright?"

"Yeah, just have some things on my mind," Jane replied as she entered, shutting the door behind her.

Walking over to the couch, Daria set the popcorn on her mother's end table before turning and facing her best friend. "You want to talk about it?" Daria asked gently as she motioned for Jane to sit down.

"Yeah... it's involved though..." Jane said after sitting down, "You might want to get comfortable..."

Once Daria had seated herself on the couch, Jane sighed and started her explanation. "Today, I ran into a childhood friend of mine that I hadn't seen since the summer before middle school, Jennifer. I wouldn't have recognized her, save for the fact that she used an old nickname of mine, one that only she knew and used." Jane paused for a moment as she tried to gather her thoughts. "She and I were inseparable, until she had to move. She had promised to send me a letter or call me from her new place so we could keep in contact. That summer, however, was the one that mom took me to her artist retreat. I had Trent promise to check for letters from her, or to take messages from any of her calls. When I got back, he had said there were no calls and he hadn't seen any letters from her."

"You don't think that Trent might have forgotten, or purposely stopped you from getting them, do you?" Daria asked dryly, after a moment of letting the story sink in.

"No, he always thought that Jennifer was a great girl, and probably one of the best influences in my life at the time," Jane said without a second thought on the matter. "But... that was the summer that Trent and Monique started dating..."

"Could he have been distracted by the fairer gender?" Daria inquired, somewhat reading Jane's mind.

"Yeah, he could have been... but that doesn't explain why I didn't see her in school, or why she didn't talk to me," Jane pointed out while studying the TV screen that reflected back her own image. "I mean, you don't change that much over one summer."

"Did you recognize her right away today?"

"No, she had longer hair, and that look of fear on Jennifer's face just wasn't one she ever had before," Jane said with a puzzled tone.

"Wait, did you say fear?" Daria asked with a slight frown to her lips, "That doesn't sound like she thought of you as a friend Jane, in fact..."

"It sounds more like she thought I'd hurt her... but she was my best friend. What could have turned her against me so?"

"Low self-esteem, After you left for the retreat, Jennifer probably tried to get a hold of you. Her letters and calls went unanswered, so she thought that she had done something to drive you away," Daria reasoned quietly, "And over time that thought probably made her picture you plotting revenge against her more than once."

"That's ridiculous Daria, she was my best friend, I could never..."

"Tom," Daria cut in, drawing a scowl from Jane. "My point is made."

"Alright, so maybe it's possible... but we were friends, why would she think I'd just abandon her like that? I know I looked for her at school, but she just disappeared," Jane stated, thinking out loud.

"She could have transferred schools, hidden from you, changed her look and personality so much that you couldn't recognize her. There are a lot of things that could have happened in the two months that you were gone. Maybe you should look and see if you can find any letters she may have written you, Trent probably would have separated them from the rest," Daria offered while giving Jane a small squeeze on the shoulder to show her support.

"You're right Daria, I just wish I knew for certain..." Jane mused before sighing and shaking her head, "I think I need some bad TV to clear my head."

"Your wish is granted," Daria replied with a smirk as she turned on the TV to Sick, Sad World.

"Are aliens sleeping with our men and taking their skin? Alien love goddesses, next on Sick, Sad World!" the announcer proclaimed, which was drowned out by Jane and Daria's mutual groans.

Meanwhile, seven blocks away, Jennifer was sitting on a swing, letting the wind push her slowly as she stared down at the ground. Jane hadn't seemed angry at her, in fact it seemed like she hadn't recognized her at all. Maybe Jane had forgotten about her and whatever it was she had done to upset her in the first place. She may have even never told Daria.

Jennifer's thoughts were derailed when her cell phone started ringing. Digging it out of her pocket she powered the talk button and put it to her ear. "Hey Mom," Jennifer said, knowing only one person knew the number.

"Hello dear, I hate to ask you this, but can you do me a favor?" Marianne asked pleadingly. "The company is sending Helen and I on a trip with our families, as a bonding exercise, and I sort of promised that I'd bring something for the ride up."

"Sandwiches, cupcakes, fruit, and drinks," Jennifer said dryly while leaning back in the swing, staring up at the sky. "When do you need them?"

"Next weekend Sweetie. I know it's short notice, but we just found out about this." Marianne said pleadingly.

"That's fine mom... what do you know of Helen's family? I might know her kids."

"Well, her daughters go to Lawndale High, Quinn, the youngest is a grade below you, but her eldest is in your grade. She's a bit of a loner though... I don't know if you and Daria will get along that well," Marianne said before continuing, "And her husband Jake has a bad heart, so you might want to pack him something special."

Jennifer blinked slowly, wondering if she had heard right; Daria was Helen's child? Maybe she should just check...

"Mom, I've never really asked you this before, but what is Helen's last name?" Jennifer asked, not sure whether or not to hope that she was right.

"Oh, I never told you? It's Morgendorffer," Marianne stated casually, and then continued talking about the trip, but Jennifer didn't hear anything, her mind was whirling. Daria was going on a trip with her, and they'd be away from all of the others. Could this be her chance?

"Jennifer? Did you hear me?" Marianne's concerned voice asked from the phone.

"I'm sorry mom, I was thinking about something. What was that?" Jennifer asked with a blush forming on her cheeks.

"I said that we're going to a spa, you should get yourself a new swimsuit, and maybe a nice dress outfit. We might be going to a fancy restaurant for dinner," Marianne stated in a rush, "Now I have to go sweetie, you can use the card I gave you to buy the outfits. Love you."

"Love you too, Mom," Jennifer said before hanging up the phone. Daria and her... could they really find some time alone on the trip? Could Jennifer admit her feelings for Daria? Closing her eyes as she fell backwards, letting herself hang upside down. Jennifer smiled as she pictured herself sitting next to Daria, holding her hand as she whispered her deepest feelings for the brunette, seeing the tears of joy in Daria's eyes as she kissed her knuckles, and then hugged her close. Just as Jennifer was about to kiss Daria, her foot slipped from the hold it had on the swing's chain, and that caused her to fall to the ground. Rubbing the back of her head which had taken the initial fall, she let out a sigh and started heading home. There was a lot to plan out for the next weekend, and a note to add into Daria's snack bag.


	5. Chapter 5

Walking down the halls alone Jennifer couldn't help but think of the upcoming weekend, it was her perfect chance to talk with Daria, to try and tell her how much she cared for the cynical girl. So deep in thought was she that she didn't see the person in front of her until she ran into them. Gathering her books she muttered an apology. Standing up she looked around for her notebook containing her story, only to have it appear right before her eyes, held by thin feminine fingers.

"Hey Jennifer, just the person I wanted to run into," the person mocked gently sending Jennifer's eyes wide in shock. It wouldn't happen two days in a row, would it? It could have been anyone else, but not her, not now.

Looking up she saw the face she knew was attached to the hand holding her notebook, which she couldn't seem to take back, tug as she might. There she was, red shirt and all; Jane Lane. "Hello Jane... I'm sorry about running into you like that..."

"No harm done Jennifer, now I'm not going to let go of this notebook until you promise to talk to me," Jane said gently still holding the notebook.

Jennifer sighed and relaxed her legs that she had tensed to run as she thought. If she ran, and Jane kept the notebook Daria would find out about her crush in probably the worst possible way, especially considering that her name was scribbled out in a few random places where Jennifer had forgotten to use the character name Emerald instead. On the other hand, this was Jane Rain Lane, her best friend during childhood, who didn't seem like she wanted to hurt Jennifer, as she had feared.

Biting her lip nervously she nodded, and tucked the notebook away while Jane leaned against the lockers with an apologetic look to her face. "Jens... I found your letters and phone messages last night; they were in my brother's room buried behind his dresser. I... I don't know if we can ever be best friends again, but I'd like to be your friend."

Jennifer looked at Jane in shock; she had never gotten the letters. That was why she never wrote or called. Could it really have been that simple? All this time she had been worried over nothing. Jennifer looked down at her notebook; her mind was whirling with nervous thoughts. "I... I'd like that JayR... Jane, I guess I'll see you around then?"

As she turned to leave, she felt Jane's hand on her shoulder, causing her to look back. "Do you have to go so soon? We could catch up a little before classes start," Jane offered with a gentle face that Jennifer couldn't resist.

Nodding, she followed Jane to the benches in the student break area, right between the twin Ultra Cola machines. There was so much to talk about, so much to ask... but first there was one thing she had to ask. "Jane... did you replace me with Daria?"

Jane's face showed that the question had hit her hard, deep in the core of her being. She had thought that same question many times over the time she had known Daria. "No, I couldn't do that to either of you," Jane sighed as she leaned forward, clasping her hands together, "You and her are two different people, I think you'd get along, but you can't replace each other."

Jennifer smiled slightly and hugged her books closer, hoping that her long bangs hid the blush forming on her cheeks. "Do you really think we'd get along? I'd like it if we could..."

"Yeah Jen... you're a great person, and I remember that you like to write. Daria writes too. I think you'd both have a lot in common. I'd invite you over to hang out with us this weekend, but her mom's dragging her along to a bonding session for work. So, we can hang out," Jane said with a smile and a hopeful look to Jennifer.

Her hopeful look fell, however when Jennifer sighed and shook her head. "My mom and I have plans for this weekend too. Maybe next time?" Jennifer asked with a sorrowful look.

"Oh... yeah, sure I guess. How is your mom?" Jane asked looking down crestfallen, "She's not still mad about the whole 'incident' is she?"

Jennifer giggled gently as she reached out and rested her hand on Jane's shoulder. "She was only mad for a couple days; now and then she'll pull out the pictures of us after the 'incident' and laugh about it. What were we thinking back then?"

"I'm not sure, Jen, we were younger and more foolish," Jane replied as the bell rang, signaling the pair to head on to their next class. Jennifer smiled thinking about this weekend again as she followed Jane, when... no if Daria rejected her, they could possibly still be friends. This was going to be a good weekend.

As she entered the classroom she was slightly surprised to see Daria sitting there, staring at her. At least, she thought that was what Daria was staring at until Jane slipped past her and sat next to her best friend, giving Jennifer a reassuring smile. Walking in Jennifer took her normal spot behind Daria, a small smile curling her lips upward, oh yes, this weekend would be fun. In the back of the room, Andrea noticed the change in posture of her friend and smiled, she was becoming her old self again. After a moment that smile faded as she realized that if Jennifer had Daria and Jane, she wouldn't need her to lean on anymore. Shaking her own head she let out a silent sigh, she had decided long ago, helping Jennifer was more important than her own feelings. No matter how much it hurt her.


	6. Chapter 6

Setting down the shopping bags Jennifer let out a sigh of relief. It had been five days since her mother had called about the trip that they were going on tomorrow morning, and she hoped that she had everything ready. She looked over at the kitchen, where the little disposable lunch boxes she had picked up for the trip waited to be filled. Each one was marked with a person's name; the one labeled Daria already contained the note asking her to meet Jennifer in the sauna on Saturday night, just after the main pool area closed. It was now or never; she would not back down. Andrea thought her plan was good, Shaggy didn't really care, but he would support her, whatever the outcome.

That thought made Jennifer glance down at the bags by her feet. Among everything else she had saved to pick up for today was her swimsuit. It was a simple one piece, functional and only moderately stylish. She was never really one for fashion, and she knew that Daria wasn't either, but she still wanted to make a good impression. Conceding to her mother's wishes, while sticking to what she was comfortable with wasn't easy, but she figured the dragon design would help limit her mother's concern about it being a nice swimsuit.

Swallowing the lump in her throat she thought about how this weekend was going to be like. After all, with the holiday on Tuesday giving them a full four days before school, the parents had agreed to use the entire time to bond with each other, on the company's expense. Which meant that packing the second dress outfit might be a good idea for this trip, after all, she'd get to see Daria dressed up.

Blushing slightly she leaned back and pictured how that would look. Daria would probably go with a simple black dress, something elegant and beautiful, yet with a timeless feel to it. That was Daria in a nut shell, she didn't need the popular trends to look beautiful, and one just had to look deeper than the surface with her.

Shaking her head with a simple smile on her face she scooped up her bags and walked over to the kitchen, where she smiled and pulled out her trusty old apron. It was time to make some lunches. Pulling out the first box she smiled as she saw the name Jake on top. He would get the turkey sandwiches, with low fat and cholesterol mayonnaise, lettuce and tomatoes. He'd also get the bananas, the muffins, and finally some iced tea that she had chilling in the fridge for tomorrow. Smiling she tucked the box away and started on the next one, packing it with care as her mind drifted away.

There she was standing in the kitchen filling lunch boxes when Daria walked in and hugged her from behind, a few minutes before a young girl's voice filled her ears.

"Ewwww Mu-ohms, don't get all kissey face please," said a small red-head as she flounced into the kitchen, "I'm gonna be late for school, if you do!"

"Sorry Jackie, we'll be good," Jennifer replied as she handed her daughter her lunch, "Tell Bryce and Mitch that they better hurry or they'll be late too."

"Yes mommy," Jackie said before running off into the house, her voice ringing out for her brothers.

Moments later an Asian boy, and a slightly taller African-American boy walked into the kitchen still blurry eyed and grabbed there lunch boxes before giving each of their mothers a peck on the cheek, and walking out to the garage. Daria sighed and pulled away from Jennifer jingling her keys slightly. "I'll be back after dropping them off hun, see you then."

With a sigh Jennifer returned to the real world, just in time to see Daria's note resting on top of a special packed lunch. She smiled reading the words again, remembering Jane's assurance that Jennifer and Daria would make good friends, and Andrea's help wording the note so she didn't scare away Daria. With a wistful sigh she closed the box, and cleaned up the kitchen. She had been so busy this week that she hadn't had a chance to go online, she wondered if Melody was mad with her.

Entering her room she walked over to the computer and turned it on. A few minutes later she was logged on and saw that Melody was off-line, but had left a message. Apparently she was spending the night getting ready for a weekend away with her family, for her mother's business too. With a sigh of relief she leaned back in her chair and stretched, there was a lot in common with Daria and Melody. Both were nice, after you get through the sarcastic walls, both wrote, both held a special place in her heart.

Jennifer reached over and logged off before walking over to a bag she had dropped off as she entered her room. It had her swimsuit, the last item she had to pack for the weekend. Pulling it out she laid it on top of the clothing inside her suitcase, and she stopped to look at it. The design was of two oriental dragons entwined and snaking around to loop back and rest on her shoulders. A small giggle escaped her lips as she thought that Melody would have chosen a similar suit for Dove, she'd have to tell Melody about it when she got back.

Looking about her room she bit her lip nervously as her eyes rested on her notebook, she didn't want to leave it behind. After all, if everything fell apart, she'd be spending a lot of time writing, avoiding everyone. Maybe she could show it to Daria, get her advice on it. With a sigh she picked up her notebook and laid it next to her swimsuit with great care. This would be a weekend she'd never forget.


	7. Chapter 7

A cold and crisp dawn found both families staring bleary eyed at each other, nobody felt the need to talk so early in the morning. In fact, the only person looking relatively awake was Jennifer, and she was busy loading the chartered bus, with the help of the driver. Jennifer blinked seeing that Daria's bag was missing. Turning around she saw Daria holding a stuffed backpack. Jennifer smirked at that, she figured Daria would travel light, to save room for Quinn's stuff. Turning back to the driver she watched as he stuffed the last overloaded ping wheeled suitcase into the bus's storage compartment. She only hoped that the fashion maven would get a small army of attendants to carry her luggage, because she wouldn't.

Walking over to her mother, she nudged her and pointed back at the bus. Marianne woke up enough to yawn and follow her daughter's pointing before nodding and letting her eyes close. They were now just waiting for Eric to come out and give them the company credit cards.

After a few minutes Helen sighed and looked at her watch before giving her two daughters a worried glance. "Girls, why don't you and Juniper go into the bus and wait?"

"Jennifer mom, her name's Jennifer," Daria said flatly as she led the way to the bus, practically dragging a half-asleep Quinn along.

Jennifer could feel the slight blush forming on her cheeks as Daria stood up for her. Entering the bus she smiled as she saw Daria laying Quinn back in a reclined chair with great care, before brushing her little sister's hair off her forehead. Leaning over Daria gave the cleared spot a small kiss before she noticed that Jennifer was watching. Daria nodded towards the back of the bus, inviting Jennifer to follow, before taking a seat at the back of the bus. Jennifer swallowed the lump in her throat and walked down the bus's aisle feeling as though her footsteps were intruding on holy ground. Finally, after an eternity she sat down next to Daria.

"Thank you," Jennifer said quietly as she looked out the window across the aisle, trying to avoid Daria's eyes. "For back there."

"It's alright, she does it to Jane all the time," Daria replied while getting comfortable.

"I'll bet that keeps Jane amused, she always did want to change her name. Less than Penny did, but she still wanted to," Jennifer said with a small smile of fondness on her face.

"So, you are that Jennifer. Jane told me about you, but I was a bit skeptical," Daria replied while quietly watching their parents make small talk, probably about what was taking Eric so long. After a few moments she continued without a hint of emotion, "You and Jane were the best of friends... you're not going to try and steal her back, are you?"

Jennifer stared at Daria in shock, if only she knew that it wasn't her that had to fear having their best friend stolen away, but rather Jane. Here was Daria bearing her insecurity to her, and it wasn't anywhere near the truth. "No Daria," Jennifer started after a moment's thought, "I could never take your place with Jane; she's not that type of person. I... I couldn't replace you if I tried. I just want to be friends with her again and maybe with you too... if you'll have me."

Daria's face softened under the honest emotion she saw in the girl next to her. She was holding something back, but it wasn't about her friendship with Jane. Daria nodded once before facing forward to stare at the back of the seats before them. "You're right; Jane isn't that type of person. I think we can be friends, we'll find out this weekend at least," Daria concluded as she let her eyes drift shut, it was a long trip and it was still early.

Jennifer watched Daria drift off to sleep for a few minutes with a simple smile on her face. It was true, they would find out this weekend; one way or another. With a yawn, Jennifer turned around to get comfortable. This was going a lot easier than she had worried about until early this morning. Maybe she had worried over nothing. Closing her eyes she never noticed that she was being watched. Quinn turn to face forward again and smiled slightly, her big sis had woken her with the kiss. It was an unusual act of kindness, but Daria had been doing those more often lately. It wasn't the kiss that caused the smile; no it was the fact that she saw something her sister didn't. Someone had a crush on Daria, and they were sitting next to her.

Quinn's smile faded into a frown as she thought about Daria in a relationship. Her frown wasn't based on the thought that the other person was a girl, or that they were both unfashionable, but it was simply from the knowledge that Daria was going to break Jennifer's heart. She wouldn't intend to, but Daria isn't gentle about people's feelings, and she wasn't a lesbian. Quinn shut her eyes and sighed, letting sleep take her as she silently pleaded with her guardian angel to help Jennifer too.

Jennifer stepped out of the shadows with her head lowered in fear, knowing exactly how much rode on this moment. There stood Daria, overpowering in presence. She had to fight back her fear with each step she took closer to Daria. Each step echoed in her mind as she drew closer to the girl that possessed her heart. Lifting her gaze she saw Daria staring down at her. Her lips moved slowly, forming the words to express her feelings, her burning desire. Daria stood there, impassively gazing at Jennifer, seeming to grow larger with every word. After Jennifer finished, Daria just stood there, minutes passed into hours, and hours into days. Every second she waited Jennifer felt as though an eternity had passed outside this conversation. Finally Daria's mouth moved, causing Jennifer's heart to skip, the words echoed in the quietness. "Jennifer, it's time to wake up."

Jennifer's eyes slowly opened to see her mother standing over her. As her senses returned she blushed, feeling a head resting on her shoulder. Without looking, she knew it was Daria, who must have leaned over during the ride.

"Hey, it's almost time for lunch, Jennifer, can you wake Daria? I'll start passing out the lunches," Marianne said before walking to the front of the bus. Jennifer watched her go before turning slightly to look at Daria.

Slowly she leaned down, her face inches from the sleeping girl. Gulping against the dryness of her throat she closed the distance and kissed her angel gently, waking her in the process. As her eyes fluttered open Daria drew Jennifer deeper into the kiss, sending chills running down the shy girl's spine. Breaking the kiss the pair looked into each other's eyes as they panted.

Sighing slightly, Jennifer shook Daria's shoulder gently. "Hey Daria, time to eat," Jennifer said when Daria's eyes opened enough to look out of her glasses.

Straightening herself in her seat, Daria yawned slightly and stretched a bit. "Thanks, and I'm sorry about sleeping on you like that..."

"It's alright Daria, I was sleeping too, so I didn't notice," Jennifer said, all the while she was finding out that she missed the warmth of Daria's head on her shoulder, the slight pressure of it was reassuring in itself. "Besides, we're friends, no need for something like that to bother me."

As the pair continued to talk, Quinn watched them with a sad look to her face. This wasn't going to be easy on Jennifer; she'd have to watch her this weekend. The girl looked on the edge of doing something drastic, and the seclusion of this spa may just be the last straw.

Quinn watched as Marianne passed out the lunch boxes with a smile, Quinn wondered if Jennifer had even told her yet. This weekend was going to be an interesting one, that was for certain.


	8. Chapter 8

Jennifer wrung her napkin nervously as she forced herself to stare forward. Daria had found the note and read it. However, she didn't give any facial indication of her opinion on it, nor did she say anything to Jennifer after lunch. Instead, Daria had lain back in her chair and fallen back to sleep. Jennifer wondered if she had said too much in the letter, or maybe just freaked Daria out by being too forward. Maybe she should have asked her later during the weekend. Closing her eyes she pictured how it should have gone.

Daria looked at the note on top of her lunch box curiously for a moment, before catching Jennifer trying to hide shyly out of the corner of her eye. Picking up the note she looked over the simple invite to meet outside the spa just before the pool closed. With a small smirk Daria reached down and squeezed Jennifer's hand lightly to get her attention. Without looking over Daria nodded, letting Jennifer know she was going to be there.

With a sigh Jennifer looked over at the sleeping Daria, enjoying that view for its own worth. When Daria was asleep she seemed to finally lower the walls against society that she raised, and show her true self. It wasn't much different than when she was awake, save for the slight softening of the corners of her lips and the serene look of her lidded eyes. But, it was enough to transform her from someone intimidating into someone cute and almost angelic. Snapping her head around again she scanned the seats toward the front of the chartered bus, trying to pick out where this feeling of being watched was coming from. Jake and Helen were playing a game of cards with her mom, and Quinn seemed to be checking her make-up again. Odd, how she could see Quinn's face in the compact. With a shrug Jennifer pulled a book from her coat pocket and began reading.

Quinn lowered her compact with a frown. Something had happened between Daria and Jennifer during lunch, and it involved the note currently shoved into Daria's jacket pocket. Was it Jennifer's confession? No, Daria wouldn't be sitting there if it was, or they would at least be talking. Maybe it was a note asking to become friends. That didn't work either, because Daria would have made a comment about that. What could the note have said that Daria wouldn't have reacted over? It had to be something that wasn't decisive, something ambiguous... something like an invite. Maybe it was an invitation to meet somewhere and talk.

With a sigh Quinn shook her head and pulled out her latest issue of _Waif_ and began reading it, or at least appearing like she was. She hadn't told anyone but Stacy, but for the past few months she's been removing the insides of the magazines and taping in a literature magazine that published short stories. This one was probably going to be one of her favorites, as the story about a young girl, struggling with pressures of society trying to force her into the mold of a fashion plate spoke to her deeply. She always wondered what it would have been like to play the rough house games like the boys did, or to just get dirty without a care for how her clothes would have fared. Closing her eyes she pictured herself, the rugged tomboy.

Her jeans were tattered and stained with heaven knew what, but they hid the tops of her hiking boots, and were a great storage for her pocket slingshot. Over that she wore a faded red shirt with a star stamped in the front, covered only by her grey long sleeved button up shirt she wore open, like Daria's friend Jane did. To complete the look, her face caked in sweat, grease, dirt, and a small trickle of blood from a scrap on her lower jaw. And, it was all framed by her long red hair, pulled back into a pony tail to keep it out of her face. She idly twirled a football in her hands while standing on a stack of guys at her feet.

Quinn let out a sigh as she opened her eyes and looked down at her perfectly manicured hands. She had chosen a different path in life, one that drew her away from Daria. Closing her eyes, Quinn grit her teeth as shame hit her like a javelin to the heart. Daria, the one person she really wanted to be closer to, the one person that she wanted to always be there for her when she fell, that was the person she had driven away the most with this fashion plate persona. One moment of anger, one moment of rage had driven Quinn to become this... this mockery, and she was still paying the price for it. Those stupid girls had made Quinn so mad that she had to show them up, and then she got sucked into being pretty, popular, and perky. When the family had moved to Lawndale, she had thought of making a fresh start, but she hadn't even left the car when her old life hit her square in the face. She couldn't change now; her fate had been sealed with "Hi! You're cool. What's your name?"

Quinn popped open her compact and turned the mirror to see her sister in it. She knew that Daria didn't like this mask Quinn hid behind, and so she had tried to separate herself from Daria. The whole cousin lie hurt her deeply every time she used it, especially when she saw Daria's anger over it, but once again it was too late to change. She'd kept building on the lie until it became ridiculously outrageous, almost as though begging someone to call her on it. So far, only Stacy has asked. Stacy was always the one who worried about something being wrong with her friends, and so she had swallowed her fear to risk insulting Quinn by calling her a liar.

Stacy had awakened the tomboy Quinn had long ago suppressed and written off as the dream of a weak heart. But Stacy saw something in that dream Quinn hadn't, Stacy saw strength, courage, and will power. That had surprised her; Stacy's eyes had lit up with a passion when talking about Quinn's alter-ego, almost as if wishing that she had met and became friends with her instead. Somehow after that night, Stacy had become more forceful, in small ways. She wasn't always washing over to Sandi's side all the time.

Quinn smiled as she thought about her first true friend's sudden growth in courage. Oddly enough she felt a small amount of pride when looking at it; it felt almost as though she had inspired the change in her friend's demeanor. She had helped Stacy become stronger as a person, and in a way, gave her courage that she might do the same.


	9. Chapter 9

Many hours, and miles later Jennifer found herself pacing the inside of her private room of the seven room suite the company had booked them. She knew that just next door was Daria's room, and all that was separating them was one set of connecting doors, that Jennifer had made certain were locked. It wasn't that she didn't trust Daria, but rather she didn't trust herself to not try and sneak into Daria's room. It was getting closer to the time she had to leave to get to the sauna, and the panic was gripping her heart in a cold, vice-like squeeze. Daria knew she had written that message, and now it was too late for her to tell Daria to ignore it.

Stepping over to her bed she picked up her swimsuit and looked at it quietly for a few minutes before walking into the bathroom to change. It was too late to stop now; she might as well play it all the way through.

Closing her eyes, she pictured Daria looking at her with judging eyes, scanning every inch of her body. Maybe she could disappear into the sauna, and hide her embarrassment in the heat and the steam. Maybe she could tell Daria that she had written the note back before she had reconciled with Jane. Maybe she could just tell Daria she was sorry to waste her time. Shivering silently she slid into her bathing suit and wrapped herself in a fluffy bathrobe the spa had provided for the visitors. Looking at herself in the mirror she swallowed the lump she felt swelling in her throat. She was such a mess, what with her scrawny legs and arms sticking out awkwardly from the overflowing robe, her blonde hair managed to hide her plain face and drew some attention from her flat chest. How could she even hope to offer anyone anything?

Walking out of the bathroom Jennifer slipped on the sandals she had packed for her trips to and from the pool, so she wouldn't ruin her shoes. Looking over at the clock she sighed seeing that she still had a half-hour to go before the time to meet Daria. Maybe she could write some more of her story. She knew that she didn't was somewhat decent at that. Maybe she could become a writer someday, that way she'd contribute to society that way. It wasn't likely that she'd attract someone, not with her looks.

Walking out of her room, she found that Quinn was watching her as she walked out of her room. The look in her eyes sent shivers down Jennifer's spine, it was as though she knew what Jennifer was doing, and wasn't about to let Daria walk into such an obvious trap. Jennifer rushed out into the main hall as fast as she could. Nearly running down the hall she kept glancing over her shoulder to see if Quinn was following her. She didn't know if she could tell Daria alone, but she knew that if there was anyone else there, she couldn't do it.

Arriving at the pool she smiled slightly seeing a small girl playing with her mother in the shallow end of the pool, on the other side of the pool. She must have gotten special permission to stay up this late. As she watched the little girl noticed her and waved excitedly at her, a wave that she returned with less enthusiasm. Turning away she found a table nearest to the sauna and sat down. Immediately she started writing from where she left off. She felt better when she was writing; she could take the stories the way she wanted. Slipping into the fantasy of her stories, she began to lose all track of time. She never noticed the mother carry her daughter off, nor did she hear another person arrive at her table.

Not until a slightly ill-tended finger nail rested just above the word "Daria" she had accidentally written, and a familiar voice spoke. "You forgot to change the name here Jennifer, or should I call you Silent Dove?"

Jennifer froze; she knew that her secret was out now. That was Daria's hand pointing at the name of the wise leader, the one based off of the person she cared about the most. Looking up she gazed fearfully into the bespectacled eyes of Daria, praying that the neutrality of her gaze and the tight line of her lips meant that she wasn't mad.

Jennifer could feel her chest tightening as she continued to stare into Daria's eyes. Finally, after what seemed like eons she tore her eyes away and studied the table in front of her. "He... Hello Daria... Yeah, I did mean to change that..." Blinking slowly she looked at the story again. The only person she had told about this story was... no it couldn't be. Could it? Finally she looked back at Daria; the two were so similar; it was easy to think they could be the same person. But she'd have known, wouldn't she have? Finally a small squeak escaped her. "Melody?" she asked almost as though she feared the answer.


	10. Chapter 10

The silence in the pool area was nearly deafening as Jennifer stared at Daria, eyes wide with fear. Finally, after nearly an eternity, Daria spoke. "Yes," the stoic's voice rang in Jennifer's ears. "It seems that Jane didn't have to worry about us being friends."

"No, I guess not..." Jennifer mused quietly while lowering her eyes away from Daria. Fear was swelling in her heart, causing her fingers to twitch subconsciously. Had Daria really not realized her crush on her? Maybe Daria was ignoring it, or maybe there was something else happening.

"You wanted to talk to me," Daria said flatly as she studied Jennifer's twitching.

"Yes... umm... I wanted to talk to you about being Jane's friend again... but we took care of that on the bus, so I suppose that there's no reason for us to talk about that," Jennifer said quietly while her finger twitched harder and faster. Her nerves were getting worse as she tried to lie.

Daria frowned as she studied Jennifer some more, slowly learning about the girl before her. "You're lying, you wouldn't be this nervous if that was the case."

Jennifer froze again, Daria was reading her like a book, and she didn't know how to hide the pages. Now that it was the moment that she could tell Daria about her crush, she didn't know if she could. "Daria... I... I think you know what I wanted to talk to you about. I don't know if you can accept it, or even allow me to remain as your friend, but..."

"No, I don't know what you wanted Jennifer," Daria said honestly while watching the blonde girl, "but I'm going to tell you now that I am not one to drop friends quickly. Jane and I have had our share of rough spots, but we're still friends."

"I... I don't know how to say it Daria," Jennifer said quietly.

"Just say it Jennifer, that's always the best way that I've seen," Daria offered.

Jennifer lowered her eyes again trying to build up the courage to tell her what was in the depths of her heart. How can she just tell Daria about her crush? "How can I say something like what I want to tell you? How is it possible to say something that could kill me inside? How can I tell you that I love you?" Jennifer blurted out before her eyes widened in shock.

She had said it, she loved Daria. Snatching up her notebook she ran away from the shocked Daria as fast as she dared in the hotel. If she could make it to her room, she could hide. She wouldn't have to hear Daria's crushing refusal, she wouldn't see Daria's disgust at her, and she wouldn't have to know that Daria couldn't love her.

Daria sat in the chair stunned at the heated admission; someone loved her. Looking over her shoulder at the retreating form of Jennifer she felt her lips tighten in a deep frown. Jennifer's crush reminded her of her own. Was this how it would have been for her and Trent? Would she have ran away after blurting it out? Would she have the courage to say it at all? Standing up Daria turned back to the table and noticed that a slip of paper had fallen out and landed on the table. Picking it up, she looked it over before opening it.

Inside was a letter from Jennifer, the penmanship was familiar to her, yet still strange. She knew she'd seen it before, but couldn't place it. Inside the note read:

_iDearest Daria,_

_I don't know how best to tell you this, but I love you. I have loved you since sophomore year, when you interrupted Mr. O'Neill's self-esteem class. I looked up and saw you sitting there demurely, as you spoke. I felt my heart leap in my chest as you took his feeble excuse in stride. I had wanted to approach you, and try to be your friend, but then Jane Lane started talking to you. I... I know that Jane probably hates me after all these years, and I wouldn't blame her. I left her without a friend in the world when my mom moved us across town. I tried all summer to get in touch with her as I had promised, but she never returned my calls or my letters, and now it may be too late to save our friendship. I just wish I could tell you how much I've grown to love every minute of seeing you, but you'd probably be uncomfortable with that. So, instead I'll just ask that you understand that I love you. I know I not pretty, intelligent, or even athletic... but I could dress up as a guy for you. I'd be willing to do anything to just hear you say you love me._

_Jennifer/i_

Daria frowned slightly as she read the note; it was smeared in places by tears, but even so it was a clear declaration of love, desperation, and a very low self-image. The ink was old and faded slightly, most likely over half a year old. That meant that Jennifer had written this one, and probably others and hid them in her notebook. She didn't love Jennifer... and yet she hadn't felt anything like this before. The slight blush to her cheeks, the pounding of her heart thundering in her ears, and the cold sweat that broke out over her body; these weren't new in and of themselves, but the combination felt unknown. Could it be that she felt something for Jennifer? This needed some thinking.

As Daria walked away she never noticed a black clad body emerge from the shadows in the hallway. Quinn watched her sister with a surprised look to her face. She hadn't seen Daria blush like that since she had a crush on that Trent guy. She had brought her black brain outfit, just in case she saw a really cute college guy, but tonight she wore it to spy on her sister. Now, she wondered if maybe it would have been better to have not watched. Now, she wondered what it'd be like to be her sister right now.

Walking down the hallway she frowned in puzzlement, Daria wasn't gay, was she?


	11. Chapter 11

Locked away in her room, Jennifer hid, curled up on her bed crying. Stupid, that was what blurting everything out to Daria like that was; just plain stupid. She couldn't face Daria ever again, maybe she shouldn't talk to Jane, she was Daria's friend, and she didn't want to cause tension between them. Maybe she shouldn't leave her room the entire time the families were here. Daria must think she's a stalker now. Quinn... Quinn would probably die laughing about this, and then she'd make the remaining years of Jennifer's high school years a living hell, all because she was such a stupid idiot.

Why hadn't she just waited until she and Daria went away for college? She'd never see Daria again then, never have to know that she was seen as a freak in Daria's wonderful, beautiful eyes. She could have been Jane's friend again, and gotten to know more about Daria, fall deeper in love with a goddess in human form. Now she saw how foolish she was, Daria could never love her. She had been a moron to think otherwise. Pushing herself after spraining her knee falling off the trampoline by doing the uneven bars the next week, trying to talk to Daria all those times, what a major fool she was. She knew that he knee wouldn't hold her up, and she had paid the price by falling in the cheerleader practice, or rather 'agility training'.

Hearing a door shut softly, she sighed and hugged her legs tighter to her chest; that would probably be the parents who went out for some socializing at the spa's bar. The closing of two more doors confirmed to her mind that it must be around midnight. She could try to make a run for it and try to get as far from Daria as possible before she ruined the last tiny shreds of hope that she still clung to. Uncurling herself, she frowned slightly when she realized that someone else was in the room.

The door to the suite opened and closed once more, telling her that the person in the room with her wasn't her mother. Looking beyond the person she saw that the door to the suite was still blocked, that meant the person had came from Daria's room.

Realization struck her when the other person reached over to the dresser next to the door and turned on the lamp, revealing Daria in the muted light. Her expression was a solemn on as she turned back to Jennifer.

"We need to talk," Daria stated simply, her words struck Jennifer like a tidal wave. Her knees buckled under her and she sat down on the floor next to the bed staring straight into Daria's stern face. Jen knew what she was here for, she was going to cut Jen apart, destroy her for loving someone as incredible as Daria. Jennifer bit her lower lip looking at the doors that seemed so far away, she couldn't escape what was coming to her, not without risking injury to Daria. No, she had to face this as Daria would.

Slowly her eyes settled on Daria, sitting at the table patiently. Swallowing the lump in her throat she nodded. "Yes... I suppose we do need to talk."

"You said some pretty strong words back there Jennifer, and then you ran away without letting me reply," Daria said quietly, as she paused she sighed heavily before looking directly at Jennifer. "You asked how to tell me that you loved me?"

Jennifer waited for Daria to continue, only to be met by Daria's locking stare. After a moment she nodded, the dryness in her throat prevented her from answering with words. She couldn't deny it, not when every fiber of her being was begging to hold Daria in her arms.

"Well, I think the way you did in this letter was a pretty impressive way," Daria continued, pulling said letter from her pocket and holding it out to Jennifer. Without even touching it Jennifer knew every word on the page, it was ingrained into her mind from all the times she had read it. As Daria pulled it back, Jennifer gulped, wondering how it had fallen free of the tape holding it into her notebook. Suddenly she realized that Daria knew everything, every little detail about her crush, and how far she was willing to go to be with Daria. She could almost see a glimpse of that dream now, Daria holding her close on a love seat near a fireplace, while they just sat and talked about the day; nothing fancy or ornate, just two people enjoying time with each other.

Finally, Jennifer lowered her eyes, unable to look into Daria's eyes as the world fell apart around her, unable to see the look of revulsion as she crumbled beneath Daria's verbal assault, she knew that if she did, it would kill her inside, and nothing would ever save her. Daria meanwhile took great care laying the letter on the desk, not that she cared for the simple piece of paper, but rather that she cared for the words and feelings they expressed. She also needed time to build up her courage for the next part.

Turning back she saw Jennifer bowed forward in fearful submission, and got an idea on how to say what she wanted. It was always said actions speak louder than words, and it was time to shout something clearly.

Jennifer cringed and forced her eyes closed as she heard Daria stand up, causing the chair to slide back into the desk with a clack. It was amazing how well she could hear each of Daria's soft footsteps on the carpeted floor as she approached. How she could make out the scent of Daria's shampoo as she knelt beside her. How much the arms wrapping about her sent tingles of fire through her nerves; or how gentle yet forceful Daria's lips were as she pressed them against Jennifer's.

Jennifer's eyes flew open to see a familiar pair of thick rimmed glasses centimeters from her eyelashes. Slowly the world came into focus about her, and she realized, Daria was kissing her.

Quinn stepped back from the connector door in Daria's room with a shocked expression to her face. She had thought Daria was going to reject Jennifer, she had thought that Daria was going over to comfort Jennifer after breaking the news to her, but now she didn't know what to think anymore. Walking back out of Daria's room she took care to shut the door silently before entering her own room. Sitting down on her bed she stared at the far wall silently in thought.

If mom and dad found out about this, Daria would be in such trouble that Quinn would be able to get away with anything. But that would drive Daria away from her again; she didn't want that to happen, not when they were finally getting closer. She couldn't tell anyone about it either, especially not anyone in the Fashion Club... well maybe Stacy... but only her. Could she even talk to Daria about it though? What about that burnout girl, Jennifer? She knew she had seen that outfit she wore somewhere before, somewhere outside of school, but where?

There was something about that outfit, she remembered one of her friends wearing it before... but they wouldn't be caught dead in such an unfashionable outfit, except maybe at the fashion... The Fashion Don't party! Stacy had worn it. Maybe she knew Jennifer, and could give her some information about her. See what type of girl she was that her sister was getting involved with. Reaching for the phone Quinn paused and frowned seeing the time. Stacy would already be asleep, and while Quinn knew that Stacy wouldn't mind being woken up, she still didn't feel right calling this late.

Pulling back her hand she fell back onto the bed and let out a sigh. Tomorrow she'd call Stacy and talk to her about this. She could get the information without revealing too much, and even if she had to reveal it all, she could trust Stacy... she hoped.

Stacy had begun growing a spine, but only if Quinn was around to help steady it.


	12. Chapter 12

Jennifer looked at the door Daria had left through, and lightly touched her lips. Despite having her dreams fulfilled in the past few minutes, she knew now that her relationship with Daria wasn't going to be more than friends. Closing her eyes she lowered her head and thought back just after the kiss from heaven.

Daria pulled back after a chaste kiss to Jennifer's lips. Jennifer stared up at her with a shocked look; her eyes shined with tears of pain as she realized that Daria didn't return her feelings. How had a couple seconds managed to seem like eternity of bliss, only to leave her ready to break down and cry? How could something she had been dreaming about for years leave her feeling hollow inside? How could Daria kiss her without feeling anything?

Daria released Jennifer and stood up, walking away slowly. Pausing at the door Daria looked back with a sad look to her eyes. "I'm sorry I can't return the love that you showed me in your letters. I know that I probably didn't give you the kiss and hug you had been dreaming years about, but I gave you what I could. I cannot compete against the idealized version of myself," Daria said quietly, regret tinting her normally dry voice, "I have my reasons for currently not wanting any relationships, but I don't think we're ready to go into them right now. We can be friends, or we can be acquaintances. The choice is yours, but I'd rather my first kiss be with a friend."

With that Daria was gone through the door, and Jennifer couldn't help but stare at the closed door. Daria had left the choice of the future up to her, to be her friend or to be an acquaintance that shared one kiss with her. One kiss, that one magical kiss had caused such a stir of emotions within her. Not only had it been Daria's first kiss, but also Jennifer's.

Opening her eyes Jennifer felt the tears falling into her lap, she knew that the kiss was the killer of her dreams of a relationship with Daria. No, it wasn't the kiss; that was the final nail in the coffin. What killed her dreams had been her dreaming and not taking action. She couldn't blame anyone else but her own cowardice, her own stupidity... she could only blame herself.

Curling into a ball she let herself fall over onto the floor and let the tears fall from her eyes. She had lost her one chance with Daria. Andrea would know what to do now, but Jennifer didn't want to call her, not this late at night. Shaggy would be up right now, but he wouldn't be much good about relationship troubles like this. Where else could she turn? Should she even look for help? Daria had said they could be friends, and hinted that if Jennifer hadn't idealized her, she might have had a chance. Could she really remove the perfected visions of Daria from her mind?

Closing her eyes she felt the tears slow and stop as she thought about it. Would she really want to love someone perfect? She had been drawn to Daria because of her wit and intelligence. Later she added in Daria's beauty that she had hidden away. Daria's flaws were a part of her, and Jennifer had overlooked them. Could it be that Daria wanted someone that loved the whole of her, rather than a select and perfected part of her?

Jennifer pulled herself off the floor and onto the bed, getting comfortable while she stared up at the ceiling. Things would probably look better in the morning. Closing her eyes, Jennifer laid her arm across them to try and will herself to sleep, if she could.


	13. Chapter 13

As the sun rose over the horizon, Jennifer sat on the window sill quietly staring out of her window while her cell phone rested in her hand. She desperately wanted to talk to Andrea, but she feared what her friend would say. Would she be upset that Daria had rejected her? Sympathetic? Disappointed? That was probably it. Andrea would be disappointed in Jennifer for building up her hopes and wishes like she had.

Jennifer shook her head trying to drive that thought away. Andrea wasn't like that; she cared about Jennifer like a sister. She had always been there for her, even if she was just wasting her time on someone that didn't deserve it. No, Andrea would probably try to console her, and suggest that Jennifer have her over so they could talk once she got home. Andrea always made time for her, always cared, always was there. Maybe Jennifer should do something nice for her, something like buy her that ankh she had caught Andrea eyeing at the mall, or bake her some of those triple chip cookies that Andrea loved.

Looking over at the clock she frowned slightly seeing that it was only about six in the morning. Andrea wouldn't be up for another half hour, and then her mother would drag her along for Sunday services. Jennifer gave a small laugh as she thought about the dresses that Andrea's mother had made Andrea wear for church that one Sunday she had gone over to drop off something. When Andrea had gotten home, Jennifer was sitting on the front stoop writing away in her notebook. Looking up, Jennifer couldn't believe what she was seeing. There stood Andrea with the Mehndi artwork which Jen had helped apply, under a heavy layer of concealer. While that was pretty shocking in and of itself, the biggest change was how she looked. She was dressed as though Quinn herself had given her the dress, and done her hair. The pale blue dress had a small floral pattern to it, and matched the light blue shoes almost perfectly. Jen could recall feeling herself blush when she saw Andrea standing there, right up until Andrea's mother and grandmother walked past, letting Andrea know they'd be waiting inside while she talked to 'that heathen girl'. It wasn't that the name that had hurt or that Andrea had to defend her from her family. No, it was simply the realization that despite her mother having said Jen was a good influence on Andrea, she still wasn't any good.

The exchange after that was quick, Andrea had wanted to get out of the dress, and Jen just wanted to get away from that place. They had met later and joked about it, but it still stung Jennifer to know that Andrea's mother had lied to her for so long. Returning to present time Jennifer sighed as she watched a bird fly past her window, heading deep into the woods that surrounded the spa. She envied that bird's freedom from heartache and pain, envied being able to fly away without a care, and envied its normal life. Closing her eyes she let out a sigh as she fought back the rage welling deep inside of her. It didn't matter to anyone else what she longed for… no… that wasn't true. Andrea had always cared, and Daria cared now.

The thought of Daria brought tears to her eyes thinking about how wonderful that kiss had felt, how that soaring high had become a smoking crater of pain when she realized the lack of feeling. She shouldn't cry, Daria was still a friend, still around. Then why did she keep feeling tears pour down every time she thought about that one kiss? Wiping away the tears she tried to get herself under control. Nobody wanted to see her crying, nobody would listen to her problems. She wasn't worth their time, that's the way it was, and the way it had to be. Looking down at her phone again she grimaced and set it on the dresser almost reverently, she shouldn't trouble Andrea with this. There was nothing she could do, nothing anyone could do now.

Standing up, she walked over to her bathroom and started the shower; she had to get ready to face the day. She had to show Daria that she wasn't going to break, even if her heart was dying.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't see the connecting room door was opened a crack, nor did she hear Daria shutting the door. Daria had woken up early after a nightmare, and heard Jennifer moving about. Peeking in through the door, she watched as Jennifer sat and stared out the window into the early morning light. The tears she saw on Jennifer's face had cut her deeply, mostly because she knew that she had caused them, and also because she knew that there wasn't anything she could do to stop them. Daria went over and sat on the end of her bed lost in thought. Jennifer needed someone to be able to show emotions to stop the tears from falling, and someone had to do it soon or Jennifer would start tearing into herself. Thinking about the others on this trip she found that the only one she could trust with this was also the one she wanted to ask the least. Her sister Quinn was the perfect choice, but she knew that if she asked Quinn, it would be all over the school in minutes, with the country a matter of hours afterwards.

No, this was her mess, and it was her duty to fix it. She just wished she knew how.


	14. Chapter 14

Quinn sighed as she held her cell phone silently. She had thought again about talking to Stacy, but then remembered this would be prime fodder for gossip, and that Sandi could get it out of Stacy without any real effort. Stacy had a long way to go before she was ready to face Sandi alone, but she was definitely on her way.

Leaning back against the pillows stacked at the head of her bed, Quinn sighed while thinking about Stacy. She desperately wanted to be accepted, and seemingly over time had let her own self dissolve away. Letting her eyes slide shut in thought Quinn remembered when she first realized just how badly Stacy wanted to be someone else, instead of the little mousy girl she was.

It was back when Daria had visited that snooty brain's school and Quinn had somehow managed to arrange to stay with Stacy for the night after getting kicked out of Sandi's and Tiffany's places. Stacy kept talking about how she thought of Quinn as her first best friend, and Sandi and Tiffany were secondary to her, but Quinn wasn't listening. She had always known that she and Stacy were best friends, even before the rest of the fashion club. She wasn't paying attention though, because she was thinking about Daria, and wondering if her big sister was moving onto something that would destroy her. She had heard terrible things about Grove Hill from the gossip lines, and she was really worried that Daria would become a snooty know-it-all, instead of the smart and caring girl that hide behind her shields of cynicism and aloofness. To hide her fears she was blathering about inane fashion details while Stacy dressed to go to a movie or something. When she walked out of her closet wearing a matching outfit disturbingly close to Quinn's, and then wanted to dye both girl's hair the same color, that scared her deeply, so much so that she didn't even want to be home alone. She had made up some excuse about masked serial puppy killers, just to avoid admitting that she was afraid of Stacy stalking her and stay with Daria's friend, Jane.

Opening her eyes again Quinn sighed and frowned, looking at the far wall in thought. She really didn't know what to do about Daria's situation, or even if she should do anything at all. No, she had to do something... it was just a matter of what. Should she confront Daria about it? Or maybe give them some alone time... maybe she should try to help them build a relationship... or maybe she should just be willing to listen whenever they wanted to talk. No, they wouldn't talk to her. Who could blame them really?

When had she ever done anything for anyone but herself, let alone them? Would she even trust her own actions? No, right now her actions were fueled by her need to help her sister, her need to be there for her sister, her wanting to be accepted as something other than a soulless, mindless fashion plate. Lowering her face into her hands, she was shocked when her palms met with wetness on her cheeks. She was crying; she didn't know she could cry without noticing it. Was she right about being nothing but a fashion plate?

No, she wouldn't let herself end like that. Maybe if she asked her mother to hire a tutor for the summer and really studied... Maybe if she started asking for advice from her smarter sister, instead of trying to buy her sister's works for the grades. Maybe if she could show Daria that she wanted to be smart, maybe then Daria would accept her, not repeating that pseudo-intellectual bout she had back when she wrote that stupid essay. Now, she had to show real depth of character, and intelligence.

The first thing she had to do was to leave her sister and Jennifer alone, and let them sort it out. If one of them came to her, she'd help them, but she shouldn't force herself in, even if she had done so last night. She was such an idiot spying on them like that; maybe she shouldn't try helping anyone.

She could feel that tomboy side of herself laughing at how foolish she was. She knew what she'd do if that was her, she'd sit down and talk with Daria about her suspicions, get the facts. She would never let anyone or anything stop her, save maybe Daria's cooler and wiser head. No, she'd know exactly what to do. That's right, she would know... and now that Quinn thought about it, so did she. Standing up from her bed Quinn walked into the bathroom to shower for the day. It wouldn't do for her to talk with Daria if she looked like a rag doll that had been rescued from a landfill.

Closing her bathroom door behind her she frowned in thought again. What if Daria wanted more than she could give?


	15. Chapter 15

Looking at the alarm clock as she tugged on her boots Jennifer groaned in displeasure when she saw that it was only five thirty. Slipping out of her room to the main room, Jennifer was greeted by the sight of Jake wearing a pair of ridiculous golf pants, and the matching golf hat was equally awful. After her eyes adjusted to the blinding outfit that Mr. Morgendorffer was wearing, she looked around the room to see Helen talking quietly with Daria in the corner. Inhaling sharply Jennifer caught Daria's look at her and panicked, as the thought of Daria talking about her ran through her mind.

Closing her eyes she let out the breath, the idea's idiotic nature revealed itself to her. Daria wasn't about to run around talking about Jennifer's crush on her to anyone, save maybe Jane. It wasn't that she was too noble to do it, but she would have been to uncomfortable with the idea to discuss it with anyone she didn't trust with her entire being. With that in mind, Jennifer relaxed slightly as her gaze wondered around the room to three stacks of clothing sitting on the end table next to where her mother was standing, beckoning her over.

Walking over, she noticed that her mother was getting ready to beg her for something, which could only mean one thing. Marianne thought it would be a good idea for her daughter to do something, and she knew her daughter would probably hate it.

She couldn't guess how right she was.

Five hours later, Jennifer sighed again as she tried to figure out what she had done to piss off the beings that controlled fate this much. Here she was standing with Daria and Quinn in what their parents thought would be an excellent idea, even though all three girls had said that the mental health hike had sounded like a bad one. The reality was much, much worse.

First, all the participants had to change into uniform from the ominous stacks her mother had stood beside, each consisted of sweat pants and a t-shirt printed with the insignia of the spa across the front. The clothes weren't bad, except they all seemed to run two sizes too large and to be made of muslin, other than that they were wonderful. Next came the mile long nature hike. While the view was breath taking for a good part of it, as was the ice cold fall wind, the rapid pace that they marched at pushed them to the very limits of their stamina. Then, they arrived at a warm, inviting cabin in the middle of the woods, into which they crammed twenty sweaty bodies. Upon entering, the group found a couple tables with health food and water waiting for them. The water was cool and refreshing, but the health food seemed to be based on the theory that if it tasted like cardboard, it's healthy. After a half hour, that feeding frenzy was finished, and the seminar began. The man running it would have made Mr. O'Neill feel that he was cruel and evil in comparison. Before today, Jennifer would have sworn that such a thing couldn't, maybe even shouldn't be possible, but here she was sitting with Daria and Quinn listening to this guy drone on about self-esteem issues and healthy living. She almost wished that there was a test for this one, just so she could test out, get a map back to the spa and go into hiding.

She knew that she had to face Daria, but she wasn't ready to try that again. Not after last night, not yet. She had to plan out her next moves carefully and call Andrea. She knew now that she needed Andrea, especially after this morning. Sighing, she forced it from her memory and studied the lecturer; he seemed to be one of those hippies that just never let go. His blonde hair was loose and hung down to about his shoulder blades. The half-moon glasses and beard would have added a bit of dignity to him, if the beard hadn't been so shaggy and ill-kept. Instead of the sweats and t-shirts worn by everyone else, he had on a purple shirt with a bright yellow peace symbol across the entire front, and jeans. She couldn't see his feet, but she'd almost be willing to bet that he had on sandals. She had noticed that he seemed to know Daria and Quinn, and from their reactions they knew him too. Tilting her head with a sigh she tried to think of his name, just to stay awake. It was Van something other. Van Diesel? Van Driessel? Van Driessen? Yeah, that was it. Van Driessen, was his name, David Van Driessen.

Looking longingly at the clock she willed it to get to noon already. She had been sitting in this closed, humid, tightly packed cabin for nearly three and a half hours, and the smell of sweat, body odor, and human produced gas were all starting to make her a little dizzy. She hoped that noon would come, and bring about the chance to leave this cabin. She wouldn't mind the hike, just so long as she could get away from this mind numbing drivel, and judging by Daria and Quinn's faces, they would agree.

Quinn was leaning against the table in a futile effort to combat gravity as she slipped down off the bench and deeper into a pleasant nap. Her hair was slightly mussed up from the wind and her fight against gravity, while the slackness of her jaw allowed a slight bit of saliva to drip out of her mouth. Jennifer smiled faintly at Quinn's appearance, she knew that Quinn was not her type, but the younger girl had been a subject of at least a few of her dreams, always with Daria, and for some odd reason, Stacy Rowe was also there often. Thinking on the matter a little, Jennifer sighed sadly as the image of a younger Stacy and herself playing in the sandbox at the park came to mind. She really missed the shy young girl that had walked over to her and asked quietly to play with her. Jennifer had taken a shine to the younger girl, and started watching out for her at school; sadly she had failed to stop one corruptive, manipulative, evil wench of a girl from crushing poor Stacy's self esteem and self worth. Returning to the present, her mind pointed out that she had noticed a little of Stacy's confidence was returning, and it was all thanks to the messy haired red-head sleeping before her. There would never be a way to thank Quinn enough, but maybe she should stay away from Daria for her, and not drag her sister into the social stigma of lesbianism. Maybe she should just fade into the background again, never speak of it again to Daria… maybe she should break off contact with Jane again. With a shake of her head, she fought those ideas away with the thought that her heart wouldn't let her, and Jane would hunt her down at school anyhow.

Slowly her eyes landed on Daria, who for all intents and purposes seemed to be paying attention to the speaker, but Jennifer could see her eyes weren't focused on Mr. Driessen. In fact, they seemed to be focused miles away, and by this Jennifer figured out that Daria was thinking about something. She had seen Daria do this a few times, mostly during study hall when she had problems with Jane, or when she had a huge or difficult writing assignment to start on. She would just sit there, still as a rock, while lost in thought. Those times gave Jennifer ample time to check her out, and notice all the little details about Daria that she wouldn't have if she had to only be satisfied with quick little looks. Details like how she had natural highlights running through her auburn hair, how eyes darkened with her anger, and lightened with her mirth, or even how her lip seemed to have just the slightest of a pout to them that gave her a cute air about her. Not that Jennifer would ever point this out, as she knew that Daria didn't think of herself as cute, even if she was. Now Daria didn't think in terms of physical beauty, even went so far to hide it. To one such as Jennifer who had studied her intensely, she was beautiful, but to others she was unattractive, standoffish, and perpetually pissed. Sighing again Jennifer wondered why Daria hid herself behind the walls of cynicism, the unflattering clothing, and the 'misery chick' attitude as others called it. For some reason, last night's confession about their pen names came to mind, and she had to wonder if Daria wrote more into Melody than what she had thought. Bringing to mind one particular paragraph she frowned in thought trying to figure out why it seemed to relevant.

_iToday was the last day I was going to hide, today I was going to become strong and face the future. Rest in peace Melody Powers, the quiet outcast. Welcome to the world Melody Powers, strong and determined female spy./i_

Blinking slowly it dawned on Jennifer, Daria had written that as the final paragraph of Melody Powers' first adventure, 'Dancing with the Tzars'. Was it possible that Daria wanted to break out of the shell that she had created for herself? Could Dove really help out the great Melody? Jennifer turned her attention back to the clock on the wall, just in time to see it click noon, and a faint siren sounded off somewhere in the distance. Looking back to Van Driessen she saw that he was heading to the door, while the others around the room were starting to get up to leave. Reaching over, Jennifer shook Quinn's hand gently to rouse the girl, and put off trying to interrupt Daria's deep thought time. Smiling and pointing at the door for the bleary eyed Quinn she started to stand up and deal with that little knot that had formed in the middle of her lower back. Arching backwards and hearing the bones pop all the way up along her spine caused her to wince. Looking over sheepishly, Jennifer saw Daria quirk an eyebrow at her, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips, causing a blush to form on Jennifer's cheeks. Turning around she walked to the exit as fast as she could without seeming to run away from the sisters that were following her.

Stepping outside, she inhaled the crisp air with a sigh and started towards the trail she saw everyone heading for. Now that the weather had warmed up enough to not cause her to cringe with every breath, she smiled at the beauty of nature. It was simply breathtaking with the sheer explosions of color and sounds that come alive on a clear fall day. Looking around with a smile on her face she gasped happily as she saw a large buck standing majestically on a slight ridge on the other side of the cabin's clearing, watching the group of humans walking away. As she watched the deer standing there, she could feel Daria and Quinn joining her in watching the simple beauty and majesty of the animal before her. After a few seconds she could hear the return of someone from the trail, causing the stag to turn and disappear into the forest with naught but a flash of white to show where it was going. As time returned to the girls, they turned as one to walk along the trail, ignoring the curious gaze of Mr. Van Driessen and the others, wondering just what the girls had seen that caused them all to have such stunned and pleased expressions on their faces.

The walk back seemed both shorter and faster than the trip out, even though they walked the same path. All the way along the three girls would look into the woods and see new and stunning glimpses of wildlife that they wouldn't have seen in Lawndale or any other city. Daria's thoughts about her Montana cabin seemed to start solidifying more in her mind as she watched nature around her, inspiring her to write. Quinn's keen eye for detail saw several colors and details in the animals and plants that she really wished could be replicated in clothing, and her heart seemed to sing every time she saw some cute and innocent animal wondering around their homes. Seemingly unaware of the human intruders little squirrels would gather up nuts for the winter to come, and little rabbits would hop about in the foliage. Jennifer smiled as she thought back on the nature walks she went on with her father occasionally as a little girl. They would spend all day walking deep into the woods with her father taking pictures as she'd keep an eye out for something that would amaze her, and point it out. As the sun set the two of them would set up their tent and then spend late into the night talking around a small campfire. Sometimes they would just lie down and watch the stars far above, and just bond in the glory of nature.

Merely a half hour after they had started the girls arrived back at the main resort, trailing behind the main group by several feet. They didn't mind that they were the last ones to arrive, nor did they mind that each of them was lost in their own thoughts. It was a peaceful, comfortable silence between them, and they found themselves enjoying it. Walking into the spa they sighed as the reality of the man-made world surrounded them, forcing them to return from their thoughts and musings. Looking around they noticed that the others of the group were dispersing down the halls to the rooms, or heading into the lounge.

"So, where should we go?" Quinn asked, bringing to mind the question all three were thinking about.

"Mom said that they wouldn't be done with their golf game until two, and that we should get some lunch," Daria offered while looking over at the specials menu for the in-house restaurant. "I'm open to suggestions otherwise."

"Can we get changed?" Quinn asked before adding, "I mean I think even you two have to agree that these outfits are horrid, and uncomfortable."

"How about ordering for some take out? I think I remember that there was a Chinese place that delivers here," Jennifer said while looking at the prices of the menu with a small frown, "Might be less expensive that way."

"Sounds good. What's the name of the restaurant?" Daria asked as she led the group to the suite so that they could change.

"Good Time Chinese Restaurant, Lawndale has one," Jennifer replied, "They have excellent General Tso's Chicken."

Daria inwardly cringed remembering the store mentioned, and the entire episode with the Holidays that she, Jane and Trent all swear to remember. That was the last time she ever ate anything at the Lane house that she didn't see arrive and or had prepared herself from food she brought in. With a nod, she agreed to try and find the menu when they arrived at the suite.

Reaching the suite, the three girls split up to look through the main room for the folder of local restaurants and shops that the parents had gotten when they arrived last night. Upon finding it resting on the table next to the phone, Daria noticed that her mother had left some twenty dollar bills under the folder with a note to buy a small lunch as they were going out to dinner at five that night.

While Daria and Quinn looked up what they wanted from the restaurant, Jennifer walked into her room to change out of the itchy and overly large outfit that she was forced to wear to that seminar. Stripping off the t-shirt she quickly reached out and grabbed her favorite black t-shirt and slipped it on. Reaching down through her neck she pulled out her quartz crystal necklace that Andrea had given her a long time ago. As she looked down at it, she smiled faintly thinking about when she got it.

It was the summer after her freshman year, and with it, the end of cycle two of the semester-long self esteem class. Andrea had asked her to spend the night to get to know Jennifer better, and to ease Andrea's mom's worries about her daughter being alone in the 'unsafe' neighborhood they lived it, the one that had never had any problems, and was the center of all super Christian housing for Lawndale. The perfectly manicured yards, extravagantly trimmed hedges, and gleaming white paint on the houses all showed the signs that it was completely unsafe and dangerous. Jennifer had felt under dressed as she walked along the street towards Andrea's place, shouldering her backpack of clothes, homemade snacks, and her CD's that Andrea had asked her to bring over. It had been interesting spending the night at Andrea's, they had talked late into the night, and then a small glitter of light caught Jennifer's attention. There sitting on Andrea's shelf was a tiny shard of quartz with a fine silver chain running through it.

Andrea had seen her gaze, and ushered her over to take a closer look at it, only to come up behind Jennifer and slip her arms around the blonde. Jennifer had felt her cheeks redden and heard her heart thundering in her ears as she felt Andrea against her back. She watched as Andrea lifted up the chain, and looped it around her neck casually. Turning around she had caught Andrea's smile, and heard her whispering about it suiting Jennifer perfectly.

Jennifer shook her head as she tugged her worn jacket on over her t-shirt. Andrea was such a great friend that she had said she never needed a gift in return for the pendant, but Jennifer always made sure to always bring over a batch of triple chip cookies just for Andrea on June 20th, the anniversary of their first sleepover. It was just something she felt was only right to do, especially for the girl who had saved her.

With a sigh she looked herself over, before headed back into the main room to see if the other two were ready to order.


	16. Chapter 16

The menu next to her, Daria looked up from the couch as Jennifer reentered the room. Pointing to the bedroom that Quinn was using for the trip, she said, "Quinn is changing. I have her order written down, and just need yours."

"Thank you Daria, I'll just have an order of General Tso's chicken and rice," Jennifer stated as she walked across the room to sit down on the couch across from Daria. "Would you like me to call in the order?"

Daria shook her head as she picked up the phone and dialed the number. It was then that Jennifer noticed that Daria had changed into her regular clothes, the only difference was that the zipper on her jacket was open a little more, showing off not only her healthy cleavage, but also a curious pendent. She had seen Daria wear it once or twice before, but never got a chance to look at it closely. It was a simple cut quartz crystal, nearly identical to the one around Jennifer's own neck. Hearing the beep of the phone being hung up, Jennifer glanced up to see Daria's eyes watching her suspiciously.

Jennifer blushed and played with her own necklace silently with one hand while the other hid under her thigh. "Nice necklace, have you had it long?" She asked, trying to explain why she was staring.

"Yes, I got it for my birthday one year. Back when my family lived in Highland." Daria explained, trying to get Jennifer to talk with her.

"What was it like? Leaving everything you knew behind like that. I mean you had to have had at least one friend there. They can't all be as wrong about you as our classmates are," Jennifer asked, curious about the girl she had crushed on for most of her high school life.

While Jennifer and Daria talked about their pasts, a door off of the main room slid shut with a barely audible click. Quinn turned away from her spying post with a worried expression on her face. She didn't know what to do, on one hand her sister was opening up to someone. On the other hand, the person she was opening up to was the one she had been kissing last night.

She knew that she should learn more before doing anything, but how could she do that without raising suspicions or revealing what she had found out about the two. Something had to be done, or else Daria would be out of her life forever. She had to show Daria that she wanted them to be sisters, not like their aunts, but more like what sisters should be; confidants and supporters. She would never admit it, but she wanted to be smart like Daria, smart and beautiful. She teased Daria about her clothing choices to try and get her to show glimpses of the absolute beauty her older sister was. Maybe she should sit down without the Fashion Clubber attitude and talk with Daria; they had done that a couple times.

While they hadn't been overly successful, they had gotten along and she had felt that she'd gotten to know her sister better. She doubted that she left a favorable impression with Daria, but she was willing to try again.

Sighing deeply she shook her head trying to clear it. They had one and a half hours before the parents would return, so she could try and learn more about Daria and Jennifer. Turning to the door she nearly jumped as knocking sounded against it.

"Quinn, the food is here," Daria said dryly through the wooden panel separating them. All she needed to do was open the door, step through, sit down, and talk with them over food.

Opening her door she smiled as she saw Jennifer and Daria sorting the food cartons for the individuals they belonged to. Now that she watched them like this, they worked well together, even if they hadn't known each other that long.

Sitting on the chair across the table from the couch she pulled her stack closer and opened one at random. Reaching out for a pair of chop sticks she smiled as Daria and Jennifer sat across from her, neither too close, but again, not too far from the other. They were somewhat cute together in how they were hiding their relationship, but Quinn's experienced eyes could see the little tell tale signs, especially after Daria letting Jennifer stare at her chest earlier.

Splitting her chopstick she smiled innocently and asked, "What were you two talking about earlier?"

As the conversation wound on, Quinn kept seeing how well the pair meshed together. Jennifer was a bit more forthcoming with information, but Daria tended to be more pragmatic with her words, answering the questions quickly. They formed a rapid system where they ended up finishing each others sentences. They would make a great couple, and Quinn was going to help them any way possible.


	17. Chapter 17

Jennifer watched curiously as Daria and Quinn started talking about Highland. They were an interesting dynamic to observe. The subtle nuances and mild teasing would have been lost on someone who hadn't watched the pair with the intent of learning about them. It struck Jennifer as odd, but if she had been asked before today what the sisters had thought of each other, she'd have said that they were like a cat and a dog, able to get along if taught right, but more likely to fight than not. Sipping some soda that they had gotten from the vending machine, she hid a smile as Quinn mentioned some guys named Beavis and Butthead that got a smirk and an eye roll from Daria. No, these two weren't enemies; they just didn't know how to be the sister the other wanted.

Looking up at the clock, Jennifer started cleaning up the lunch waste, interrupting the trip down memory lane with a sigh. "The parents will be back in about five minutes."

Daria also sighed as she looked at the clock before shaking her head. "Knowing Dad though, they'll be late because he'll want to finish up the eighteenth hole."

Settling into the seats of the living area, the girls waited for the parents to return, each keeping to their thoughts and musings through unspoken agreement. There would be still three or four hours from after the parents return before the dinner. Maybe it was time to play some games as a group, or get to know the others.

Twenty minutes later the girls were staring at the door with curiosity. They hadn't expected the adults to be quite this late, maybe they had stopped off for drinks after golfing or something like that.

Five minutes later the room's phone rang causing Daria to walk over and answer it. "Hello? Oh, hello Mom... uh huh... I see... I suppose it can't be helped. We'll be ready. Tell Dad he has my sympathies."

As Daria hung up the phone she turned to face the expectant look of the other girls. "Our mothers got called into work an hour ago, Dad went with them and now they're all stuck at the office for a few hours. We should get ready for dinner on our own."

Quinn gritted her teeth in annoyance at her mother's bosses. They had sent them out on this retreat to get them away from work, and now they had called them in without a thought. Looking to her sister, Quinn's eyes softened as she saw Daria's stern mask solidifying even further to hide how she was hurt by the casual disregard her mother had for her daughters. She had seen it several times before, and knew that it was always harder to hide it than to show it. Looking to Jennifer she saw a similar façade of indifference hiding pain that showed in her exposed eye. She had to offer something to get them to stop thinking about it, but what? Searching the room her eyes were caught by a brochure on the table, advertising the times of the spa and pool.

"Well, you know... if we're going to be waiting, how about we have some fun?" she asked casually while holding up the brochure and starting to flip through it. "Maybe a soak in the Jacuzzi would be good for us... especially after that frigid morning hike."

Daria looked at Quinn with a raised eyebrow before looking at the brochure and shrugging and asking, "Why not?"

Jennifer hesitated a few moments as she looked at the brochure and then at Quinn and Daria before sighing and nodding.

"Great, go get your suits and stuff," Quinn said with a smile as she laid the brochure back down and got up. Her plan wasn't perfect, but it might just do the trick, and maybe even get her into Daria's good graces.


	18. Chapter 18

Sitting at a table at the very edge of the ballroom, Jennifer nursed a Shirley Temple while watching the dancers twirling and swaying with the music. Their parents and Quinn were all out there, having fun. It was only Jennifer and Daria sitting out. Daria had said she didn't like dancing, and Jennifer just didn't feel like it.

Turning back to the table she noticed Daria watching her with a trace of a smile. Leaning towards the other girl, Jennifer gave out a small laugh. "Makes me almost wish I could dance," Jennifer admitted with a nod towards Jake and Helen looking lost in each other's eyes. It was something she wished for, but it was more that she wanted to be holding Daria in her arms.

"Makes me think about a herd of ponies running across the hills," Daria commented dryly, making Jennifer giggle softly.

"I suppose it does at that Daria..." Jennifer answered after finishing her laughing spell. It wasn't perfect but this was nice, just spending time with the real Daria. Maybe being friends with Daria wouldn't be that hard, not if Daria's wit held out.

Turning to look at Quinn dancing with a slender, young man Jennifer couldn't help but notice how girly he looked. Her thoughts were interrupted by Daria's voice softly whispering, "I'm waiting to tell Quinn that she spent most of the night dancing with a girl. I think when we get back to the rooms will be fine."

Jennifer's eyes widened as she fought back laughter, he did look rather feminine, but she wouldn't call him a girl. Would she? Turning back to the table she noticed Daria had moved her chair closer to her, making it easier for them to talk under the music. "It's not that bad, Jane was pretty good at dancing from what I remember."

"Still is, she helped teach me for my cousin's wedding so I wouldn't completely embarrass myself," Daria answered. That one sentence caused Jennifer to blush deeply as she thought of Daria and Jane dancing around Jane's perpetually messy room, Daria in a flowing gown, Jane in a tuxedo. The amazing thought was interrupted by Daria's voice speaking again, "Though at the time she tried to get me to ask her brother. I've seen him dance, and I'd rather keep my toes."

Jennifer let out a small laugh, relieving some of the tension she had felt building inside. This was going wonderfully, almost like a real date with Daria. Closing her eyes, she quietly took a drink from her Shirley Temple before noticing the parents coming over. "I think it's time to go."

Sure enough, five minutes later found the three teens in the suite while the parents went out for some drinks. Jennifer smiled as she let her feet slide out on the floor, sitting her down in front of the door in her room. It had been a wonderful night, and she could almost swear she was falling more in love with Daria. She had to tell someone about what had happened so far, looking up she saw her phone sitting on her nightstand. Rushing over from the floor she scooped up the phone and started dialing Andrea's number. There was so much to tell her, and so little time.

Little did she know, in the next room, Daria was having an internal debate. On one hand it was fun hanging out with Jennifer and making her laugh, almost as natural as being with Jane. However, the blushing, the daydreaming, and the knowledge both of those could be traced back to her was odd. It was driving her nuts trying to figure out if she liked Jennifer as a friend or as possibly more, especially when she didn't even know if Jennifer still wanted to be friend.

If this wasn't such a personal matter, she would have asked Jane for advice. Even if it wasn't, it was still Daria's mess to clean up, and she didn't shove jobs like this onto others. First, there was a tiny matter to attend to. Walking over to Quinn's room she knocked and entered with a slight smirk on her face.

Five seconds later Quinn's voice was heard throughout the spa. "EWWW! THAT WAS A GIRL?! BUT HE WAS HOT!"


End file.
